11/10/2011 - Insurance myth: Luxury car drivers receive more tickets

Some people mistakenly believe that luxury car operators tend to get targeted by police officers and are issued with more speeding tickets - therefore paying higher premiums. However, the results of a 2009 study suggest otherwise.

According to Quality Planning, a professional services firm that validates policyholder information for insurers, drivers of the Hummer H2/H3 are the most likely to receive speeding tickets based on a review of traffic code violations data between 2007 and 2008. However, in the same study, researchers also looked at what vehicle makes and models had the fewest number of violations. Topping the chart was the Jaguar XJ, one of the car industry's most well-renowned luxury models.

In short, while auto insurance premiums tend to be higher for expensive vehicles, it's not always because they tend to be involved in more traffic-related violations. It may just be because they're more expensive in the first place.